


The DJ from Oromoston

by EZGMR555



Category: DreamKeepers
Genre: Action/Adventure, Friendship, Loss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-20 22:10:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13727001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EZGMR555/pseuds/EZGMR555
Summary: When Nolitz Onlok, a well-known DJ from Oromoston (Au-row-moss-tin) City, moved to Anduruna for a fresh start, he was stunned by the city's strict rules. In speaking out against the laws, he catches the attention of Troika - a secretive military organization which protects the people of Anduruna against Nightmares, even when this requires defying the government.Endroge, Kara, and Axmon are Nolitz's closest friends, but they're Soul Reapers -- a group of gangsters, delinquents, and mercenaries known for engaging in illegal activities. Their mixed alliances cause tension among the four friends, and ultimately Nolitz becomes worried as the Soul Reapers grow increasingly chaotic.





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visitor arrives at the CCA station.

"We've arrived Mr. Daemonara."

Daemonara glanced up from the article he was reading on his data scroll and turned to look out the window of the groundcar. "So we have."

Switching off his scroll, he stowed it in his suit pocket before opening the door and stepping out of the groundcar. Sabbaton Towers stood in uniform shape in front of him, stretching up as far as the eye could see.

Why a single tower had so many floors was beyond him. What was the point of having so many facilities in one building? The Viscount's office was located here as well, so couldn't the building have just enough for only him and his family?

As he observed the building, Daemonara could hear the clatter of the manekale's saddle as the beast settled down. He always wondered if those creatures enjoyed pulling groundcars all day and night. Probably not.

"That'll be 20 lucre," the driver spoke as he approached the observer.

Daemonara reached into his pocket and pulled out several coins. He handed the amount needed to the driver.

"Thank you," he responded before heading back to the groundcar. "Have a good day sir."

"I'm sure I will," Daemonara mumbled as he placed the rest of the coins back into his pocket. He proceeded up the stairs to the entrance of the building.

He had a lot to do during this visit. Meetings with gang leaders, tracking down a liability, catching up with "old friends," et cetera. Being pulled away from his work all the way to Anduruna was frustrating, but he knew the importance of the situation.

That's why he brought along Nautico. Maybe the two of them would be able to finish their objective in a matter of days, though Daemonara knew he shouldn't get his hopes up.

 _As long as the job gets done,_ he thought as he reached the entrance.

Daemonara moved swiftly through the lobby, maneuvering through the sea of people both visiting and leaving. He again questioned the need for so many facilities in one building.

_Too many people drawn to this place. Like bugs to the flame._

He knew all too well.

He soon reached the elevators, stepping aboard one just before it closed, and pushed the button to the correct floor. From residential floors to hotels, from malls to studios, Sabbaton Towers had it all.

Daemonara however, had another destination in mind.

* * *

Several sets of eyes focused on Daemonara as he strode confidently through the headquarters of the Central City Authority, his hands clasped behind his back. He had to agree, his suit's white and gold color did make him stand out. After all, coming by one like it was rare nowadays.

He shook off his thoughts as he approached the secretary's desk. "I'm here for an 8:30 appointment with Guard Captain Antioch."

"Of course sir, let me just-" She trailed off when she glanced at something above his eyes.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance. _Of course,_ they were looking at _that,_ not the suit. That one little scar always seemed to catch people's attention wherever he went. It annoyed him to no end.

Daemonara tapped his foot impatiently, huffing in frustration. "You were about to inform Antioch of my arrival."

The comment brought the secretary out of her stare. "O-of course! Please excuse me."

Daemonara rolled his eyes as she got up from her desk and swiftly moved to the Guard Captain's office. Why did everyone he came across have to stare at his scar? Was there nothing better to do?

"He'll see you now," the secretary said, looking flustered as she sat back down. Daemonara noticed that she avoided making eye contact with him. It was most likely to avoid repeating her earlier offense.

"Thank you," he replied, as he walked towards the door.

* * *

"Daemonara, welcome," Antioch greeted Daemonara as the latter entered the room and closed the door. "Please," he gestured to a chair by his desk, "have a seat."

The Guard Captain had the appearance of an enormous grey and white owl with a giant curved horn on each side of his head. He wore a grey, red, and white uniform with golden buttons, two of which sported the symbol of the Central City Authority.

Daemonara had much respect for Antioch. The Guard Captain was a man who represented authority and knew how to get the job done. He made sure none of his men stepped out of line when questioning the law, even though Antioch himself questioned how far they could stretch the law to Nabonidus' needs. Daemonara had considered asking Antioch to be a part of his project for some time, but he would bring the matter up when the time was right.

"I must admit I was surprised when I heard you were coming to Anduruna," Antioch continued as Daemonara sat down. "I can tell it's not a leisurely visit.”

"You're correct in your assumption," Daemonara leaned back in his seat. "To be perfectly honest I'd rather be back home, continuing my work. I also believe that this trip will leave me with a serious headache."

Antioch opened one of his desk drawers and pulled a small glass and a red fermentae bottle from inside. He offered Daemonara the glass after pouring a drink. “This should help calm your nerves.”

"I doubt it, but thank you nonetheless," Daemonara answered as he accepted the drink. He took a sip of the intoxicating beverage. "Hmm... Fire Reed?"

Antioch nodded as he poured himself a glass. "Not your favorite?"

Daemonara shrugged. "I'd prefer the Agro Mix, but I'll take what I can get." He took another sip before setting the glass down.

"Now onto business. Nabonidus has sent me to track down a rogue element in our group."

"A rogue element?" Antioch arched an eyebrow. He corked the bottle and placed it back in the drawer. "Who?"

Daemonara shook his head. "Unfortunately we don't know who, but one of my associates is currently tracking them down. It shouldn't be long now."

"Is Nabonidus worried that this individual could expose our organization?" Antioch asked. "I could offer the assistance of several CCA Shock Troopers."

"That would be appreciated," Daemonara answered. "However, if shock troopers were to assist in the search, it could attract unwanted attention from the media. That, in turn, would alert our target. You should instead have your men keep a closer eye on gang activity.  
  
Antioch looked perplexed. "Why should we only focus there?"  
  
"We believe the rogue has come to Anduruna to bribe gangs such the Neon Knives or the Souls Reapers to work under them," Daemonara explained. "They'll most likely focus on the small groups around Anduruna, especially in the Margate District."  
  
Antioch leaned back in his seat. "That would be a problem, especially with the recent shipments coming in for the Reapers."  
  
"Indeed," Daemonara nodded as he picked his glass up and took a drink. "Those are being monitored by my associate as well, while Nabonidus has tasked me with talking to O'Naicul and Zhu about their subordinates. We need to weed out those who aren't loyal."  
  
Antioch took a drink as well. "Why are you so certain this rogue individual won't try to expose us?"  
  
"From what we've already gathered about this person, that's not what they wish to do."  
  
The Guard Captain set his glass down. "What do you mean?"  
  
Daemonara took another sip. "If they were trying to expose us, why come here of all places? This city is definitely under Nabonidus's influence. Who would even believe them?  
  
"Whoever this person is, they have their own goals, which currently remain unknown to us. All we know is that before they fled, they were looking up criminal activity in Anduruna. They'll most likely hire anyone who can wield a weapon, won't ask questions and isn't afraid of killing. And we both know that's the kind of people the Neon Knives and Soul Reapers are made up of."  
  
Antioch briefly stroked his chin as he processed Daemonara's answer. "We can handle small-time thugs, and the Neons aren't that big of a group, but the Reapers have outposts in most of the districts here in Anduruna. It will take a while to sort through them all."

"While it is possible that the delinquents and the gangsters of both groups could easily turn traitor," Daemonara continued, setting his glass back down. "I believe that we should primarily keep an eye on the lieutenants of the Soul Reapers."

"Why just the lieutenants?"

"It's simple. As you know, the Neon Knives reside in the Calypsa district while the Soul Reapers have control of the other districts except for Margate which both groups share," Daemonara explained. "In each of the districts controlled by the Soul Reapers, a single member is placed in charge.

"These individual members hold complete control over their outposts, and if one were to join the rogue..."

"...control of the outpost shifts to the latter," Antioch realized. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the desk, hands folded together. "Allowing them to interfere in the Soul Reapers operations undetected."

"Precisely."

Antioch sat deep in thought for several moments. "Will you be meeting with any other of our associates besides the gangs?"

"A few, but I'd rather not get everyone involved. Things would get too-"

Their conversation was cut off by a soft ping that came from the pocket of Daemonara's suit. He held up his finger to Antioch to ask for a quick moment, which the Guard Captain allowed.

Daemonara reached into his pocket to pull out his data scroll and turned it on. Checking his mail, he saw there was a request for a voice call from someone named **H2OhS#%T!Urded.**

Daemonara sighed as he leaned back in his seat. He rubbed his head before accepting the call. "What is it?"

 _"H-hey boss! What's up? Hope you're doing well."_ Nautico’s voice sounded nervous over the speaker. _"The search is going well, so no need to worry about that."_

Daemonara was unimpressed. He looked at Antioch who had a confused look on his face before going back to the scroll. "What did you do?"

Even though he couldn't see him, Daemonara could tell Nautico was shuffling uncomfortably.

_"Uh, n-nothing at all boss. Heh. Although, there is something you should know.”_

Daemonara could feel his anger slowly build up, so he let out a slow exhalation of breath. He had a feeling he knew where this was going. "Go on."

Nautico hesitated. _“Do you remember the shipment that held the special gas tanks?"_

Daemonara's expression was neutral except for an arched eyebrow, though his grip on the scroll tightened. "Yes?"

_"Well uh, you see the thing is... It's gone.”_

Daemonara exhaled slowly. He had expected the thieves to escape, but not with the cargo. Hopefully, Nautico acquired the one thing Daemonara needed to know about them.

"Did you at least figure out who they were?"

Several moments went by with no response. Daemonara tightly gripped the arm of his chair as his anger increased with every second.

_"...No."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to update the Prologue somewhat.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nolitz finds himself under questioning by the CCA.

Year: 1224 A.D.

Location: Unknown

Nolitz Onlok didn't know how long he'd been sitting with the bag over his head, though it must've been a while since he quickly shielded his eyes from the light as the bag was taken off. He blinked several times as he tried to adjust.

His eyes tended to creep people out, not just because they were both a dot of blue on a sea of black, but there were also small markings beneath them that were a lighter shade than his skin. Not only that, although he wasn't the only Dreamkeeper with blue skin, he was among the very few who did have fin-like ears which were a lighter blue as well. Plus, he had sharp teeth and dark blue hair, the back of which he kept tied in a small ponytail.

The last thing he could remember before all this was that he was walking home from the pet store after buying food pellets for his ryuu-neko Mischief. The next thing he knew he was being held at gunpoint as he was forced to the ground and handcuffed by the Central City Authority. Then it all went black - until now.

"Welcome, Mr. Onlok," the CCA Trooper holding the flashlight said. "Before we begin, you wouldn't mind telling me if you know your Power, would you?"

"Well, that light in your hand is giving me the power of irritation. Mind turning it off?"

"Ok smartass, just be advised _any_ Power use will be countered _immediately_ with deadly force."

"That wouldn't help my current situation would it?" Nolitz asked rhetorically.

The flashlight switched off, allowing Nolitz a better view of the room. It was a small cell with only one door, which was blocked by the trooper. Judging from the symbol emblazoned across the face-masking helmet, this was a field commander - and the mask did a pretty good job of disguising their voice as well.

"You don't seem to grasp the severity of your situation, Mr. Onlok. You're under suspicion of association with gang members. If _we_ decide that you're one of _them,_ you will be held indefinitely, with no trial and no charges. You'll grow old in a room just like this one."

The commander leaned forward. "Now if you're interested in cooperating, _lad,_ that doesn't need to happen."

Nolitz sat up straight, "I haven't associated myself with any gang members, and I don't sell out friends."

Two more troopers entered the room, handing the commander a couple of papers and a folder. Three pictures were taken out and held up for Nolitz to see. He recognized the person in each one.

"Kara Forsiv, Axmon Peds, and Endroge Ghamus," the commander announced. "Members of the Soul Reapers."

Out of the corner of his eye, Nolitz noticed one of the troopers tense up at Axmon's name.

"So? They may be gang members, but that doesn't make me one. They're still my friends either way, and I won't let you get your hands on them."

"...Then you've made the biggest mistake of your life, _lad,"_ The commander placed the pictures back into the folder before passing it back and held up the papers. "We've all the evidence we need to seal you away forever. This document says it all."

The commander quickly skimmed down the paper.

"...Here," the commander stabbed at the document, then paused. "You stole a neck pillow?!"

"What? They're comfy."

With a shake of the head that showed stunned disbelief, the commander continued. "Not only that - _'My ideal Sunday-'_ **You son of a-!"**

The commander lunged at Nolitz, throwing the papers to the floor, only to be held back by one of the troopers. The other calmly gathered the scattered documents and placed them in the folder - but not before looking at what set the commander off.

_" 'Bark like a shark?' "_

"You promised you'd keep that to yourself!" the commander shouted, struggling to get out of the trooper's grip.

Nolitz arched an eyebrow. "Like you did when I asked you not to share my poetry?"

"Aww, come on! Your love poems were so cheesy, what was I supposed to do?"

Nolitz glared at the commander. "You could've left them alone."

"I can't believe you filled out all the questions," the trooper restraining the commander spoke up.

"What the hell happened to professionalism?" the trooper holding the documents asked.

"It died the moment you guys placed a bag over my head," Nolitz answered before holding up his arms. "Mind letting me out, Shelly?"

The commander calmed down and even began to laugh. The trooper that held her let go and switched on the lights.

"You haven't lost a step, Noel," Shelly chuckled as she stepped forward and uncuffed him. "How'd you know it was me?"

"Who else refers to someone as _'lad,'_ so many times? Not to mention all the emphasis you put on the word."

Nolitz had met Shelly a few weeks after he arrived at Anduruna. She had a knack for calling anyone "lad" or "lass" during a conversation. Nolitz, however, was given the nickname "Stickman." He had no idea why, though he figured it was probably how scrawny his muscles looked compared to hers.

Shelly took off her mask, revealing herself to be a grinning sea green female shark with light blue colored hair. "You got me there. Welcome to Troika. Hope you enjoyed the _'grade A'_ acting."

The other soldiers removed their masks. One was a blue feathered gray raptor, the other a beige and cream colored fennec fox.

"Hey," the raptor spoke up, "do you think I can get a picture with you? I'm a big fan of your music."

Nolitz shrugged, "Sure, why not?"

The raptor grinned before pulling out his data scroll. The two got together for the picture, their arms around each other's shoulders.

"Thanks. I'm Karo by the way."

"No problem."

As they let Nolitz out of the cell, he got a better view of his surroundings. He was in a military-like base built within a cave or canyon. Several people moved around, either talking or working.

"Hey." He turned to see the fennec fox walking toward him.

"I know you looked after Axmon, and I can't thank you enough," she spoke with a concerned tone. "Can you tell me if he's okay?"

"You're his cousin Fezra, right?" Nolitz asked. "You'll be glad to know that none of the Reapers have tried to hurt him. Endroge and Kara are looking after for him."

Fezra let out a sigh of relief before she looked downcast, her ears drooping. "You know, we're not actual cousins. His parents knew mine and would sometimes come to visit which is how I met Axmon. We grew close during that time, sort of like cousins.

"I barely ever had time to visit him when we were younger. When I heard he had run away from the Learning Center, I couldn't help but blame myself. Maybe I could've done better."

Nolitz looked on solemnly as she let out a few tears. It must've been hard for her when Axmon left. Feeling like a failure destroys a person, in more ways than one.

"I never talk about him because I don't want others to think I left him behind," Fezra continued. "It's probably the reason he ran."

"Axmon didn't run away because you barely visited him, Fezra," Nolitz interjected. "He knew you had so much work on your plate that he felt like a burden."

Fezra looked up in shock as he continued.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "He told me all about you, and how much you tried to provide for him. He never stopped loving you, Fezra. So don't beat yourself up over it."

Nolitz removed his hand when he remembered something. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a note.

"The day before Troika captured me, he asked me to give this to you in case we ever met." He handed it to her. "I haven't read it."

Fezra dried her eyes as she opened it up and silently read for several moments when she finished she folded it up and placed it in her pocket. More tears were faintly forming as she smiled at Nolitz. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He smiled back.

"While I don't mean to interrupt you two," Shelly said as she walked up, "the boss would like to meet you Nolitz."

* * *

Shelly led Nolitz to what looked like a strategy room where two figures were waiting.

One was a tall, dark-colored individual with both mammalian and avian features. There were large tufts of fur along the upper part of his body, his hands, wrists, and feet, and short-hair everywhere else. He had a beak and two large wings on his back. He wore a custom belt with an emblem on the front, light blue pants, and two brown leather cuffs around his lower legs.

The other was a tall, lanky, tan colored lizard with brown stripes all over his body. He had what looked like a neck brace and goggles with green lenses. He wore a black sleeveless vest with the same emblem, along with grey pants and boots.

Shelly moved off to the side as they introduced themselves.

"Nolitz Onlok I presume?" the mammal-avian asked, holding out his hand.

"Yes, sir," Nolitz replied, shaking it. It was hard to tell if the guy was blind since he didn't open his eyes.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance. You can call me Igrath." He gestured to the lizard. "And this is Scinter."

"Greetings," the reptile said with a curt nod.

I know who you two are." Nolitz steeled himself for what he was about to say.

He looked at Igrath. "You're Igrath Winters, and you're wanted for the murder of your wife."

He turned to Scinter. "And you are a wanted crime lord."

Silence filled the room as the Dj stared down Troika's leaders. Shelly looked back and forth between the three with an anxious look on her face.

Nolitz first learned about Igrath and Scinter months after he moved to Anduruna. It was around that time where he met Shelly.

When he inquired about the article, she was quick to defend Igrath before covering up her reaction. That had piqued Nolitz's interest, leading to him doing a bit of research on the two criminals. Research that presumably put him in Troika's line of sight.

"You are a bold one, Mr. Onlok," Scinter finally spoke.

The DJ shrugged, sitting down on a nearby chair. "When you ask the kind of questions that are forbidden, you have to be."

"There's a lot more to my story than the media lets on," Igrath spoke with a neutral tone, though the look on his face held a different meaning.

Nolitz sighed. He didn't mean to hurt Igrath. His story wasn't the only one that had been altered by the media. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up."

"Don't worry about it," Igrath responded. "Moving on from that subject, you know our stories, so I suppose you also know about our little group?"

Nolitz nodded. "A little. But I'd prefer to know more about something before acting."

"A wise decision," Scinter commented. "No doubt you also know why you're here."

Nolitz nodded and leaned back in his seat.

"I remember when my Grandpa used to tell me stories about the Nightmares; I never believed them until I saw one kill him with my own eyes. No one listened to or believed in me when I tried to explain what I saw. Honestly, who would? I was just a kid."

Nolitz took a brief pause to collect his thoughts before continuing.

"When I came to Anduruna, it was obvious no one believed in Nightmares either. They were just considered a myth, so I'd have to research them on my own, which caught the attention of the CCA. They inquired about my investigation, so I gave them some bullshit excuse.

"I couldn't get arrested since there was no crime, so they left me with a warning. As I continued my research, I noticed that the deeper I dug, the more the CCA kept their eyes on me. I knew that sooner or later, I would need help and the Soul Reapers couldn't help me in any way."

"And that led us to you," Igrath commented. "Troika's goal is to combat Nightmares and corruption in the Dreamworld. When we saw how you spoke against Anduruna's laws, we had a feeling you would make a good addition."

"I would be honored to join your cause if it means wiping out every last Nightmare in the world. I don't care who or what I have to face. I'll do whatever it takes to keep my family and friends safe. There's just one thing I request."

Igrath and Scinter shared a look. "And what is that?"

"Going against corruption will likely draw conflict from the gangs. If we cross paths with the Reapers, I don't want any of my friends to get hurt."

"You are aware of how dangerous the Reapers are?" Igrath questioned.

"Yeah, but they're still my friends, and I don't want anything bad to happen to them." He thought back to the times he spent with the three before they joined the Reapers. He recalled how none of them had it easy growing up in Anduruna.

"They've already been through enough in their lives, and I don't want to be the cause of any more problems."

"I understand your concern," Igrath responded. "I mean, three of your friends are involved with a gang, and that never works out well. You're worried about them, and that's a feeling I share.

"I can't visit my nieces because of things I've done, but that doesn't mean I don't keep an eye on them. So, you needn't worry about your friends as long as the Reapers don't know of our existence."

Nolitz let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, I can work with that."

"Now, since we're on the subject of the Reapers," Igrath continued, pulling out the file that Shelly used during Nolitz's 'interrogation' earlier.

Opening it up, he set it down for Nolitz to see. Among the pictures of his friends, were those of several other members he didn't recognize.

Igrath slid two pictures up to Nolitz.

The first picture showed a huge, fat pig with a black mustache wearing a white tank top and grey pants. The image was labeled 'Mr. Zhu'.

The other was someone Nolitz did recognize: an elderly bear with golden fur and orange eyes. He wore a formal purple colored suit and top hat.

It was Fred Goldster - current leader of the Fazberis crime family.

From what Nolitz could remember about him, Fred was an individual that earned respect from others. He never went back on a deal and rewarded those who worked for him.

Nolitz met Fred in person during his grandfather's funeral. The latter had come to offer his sympathies.

"Mr. Zhu and Fred Goldster." Scinter's voice drew Nolitz from his thoughts.

"I know who Fred Goldster is," Nolitz commented, "but who's Mr. Zhu?"

"The leader of the Soul Reapers," Igrath answered. "As you know, they're a gang that operates in both Oromoston and Anduruna. They keep to themselves but usually do business with another gang known as the Neon Knives."

"They've recently been getting shipments of illegal firearms from outside of Anduruna," Scinter added, showing several pictures of weapons and gadgets Nolitz had never seen before. "At first, we thought Goldster was supplying them, but even he couldn't get his hands on half of these things, much less know they exist."

"Why the hell are you guys telling me all of this?" Nolitz asked. "You just said Troika isn't going against the Reapers. Also, where did you get all this information on Fred Goldster?"

"Most shipments arriving at Anduruna come from Oromoston," Scinter continued, completely ignoring Nolitz's second question. "Do you know of any other individuals in Oromoston who deal in illegal shipments?"

"You're dodging my questions," Nolitz growled. How long had it been since someone annoyed him that much?

"Troika's goal is the primary objective," Scinter stated. "If the Reapers become a factor then so be it."

Nolitz clenched his fist in frustration, close to hitting Scinter. Igrath seemed to notice this and stood up.

"Alright, let's not let things get out of hand." He waved off Shelly who looked ready to interfere. "To answer your second question Nolitz, Anduruna isn't the only city with a vigilante group."

Nolitz took a deep breath, unclenching his fist. He nodded at Igrath to continue.

"To answer your first question, we're growing concerned about the Reapers. There's been no report of any use of those weapons they received, but we're worried Zhu might be planning something big. You grew up in Oromoston, and all we want from you is knowledge of anyone from your home who could be selling this kind of weaponry. That's it."

Nolitz racked his brain, searching for an answer. There were criminals back in Oromoston but very few. The Fazberis crime family was the only major organization with enough influence to deal with illegal weapons, but they didn't associate themselves with gangs.

The Soul Reapers back home couldn't have gotten those weapons nor ship them to Anduruna without help. Whoever the benefactor was, they were either a faceless shadow in Oromoston or from another city.

The DJ shook his head. "I can't think of anyone else."

Igrath looked at him sympathetically. "I'm sorry about all these questions. We don't know what they're planning, and we're trying to learn anything that could help us."

"It's fine. You're just trying to prepare yourselves. I get it," Nolitz replied before letting out a yawn. "Does anyone know what time it is?"

"It's about nine pm," Shelly answered as she checked her watch.

Nolitz turned back to Igrath. "Look, I'm getting tired. You wouldn't happen to have any beds around here, would you?"

Igrath chuckled. "That won't be a problem."

* * *

Nolitz shook hands with Igrath again before Shelly escorted him towards the barracks. She showed him the lockers and assigned him one. Inside was some sleepwear for Nolitz to use.

"Get plenty of sleep," she told him. "Training begins at 0800."

"Training?"

"Of course," she responded like it was an obvious answer. "What did you think you were getting into?"

"I don't know," he replied with a grin. "A charity event?"

Shelly chuckled before walking off. "See you in the morning."

After she left, Nolitz slipped into his sleepwear and climbed into bed.

Nolitz thought about his friends as he settled down. When they had been offered to join the Soul Reapers, he was not on board with working with a bunch of criminals. Endroge already had a criminal record, so he signed up without hesitation. Kara and Axmon did the same after protection was assured.

When he refused to join up, Kara and Axmon understood and wished him well. Endroge, however, called him a coward and a traitor. It struck Nolitz pretty hard, but he didn't want to start anything. He could only hope that they wouldn't get themselves into trouble.

There was also the corruption in Anduruna and the threat of the Nightmares. His family would be safe in Oromoston, but for how long? And what would happen to them if the Nightmares learned Nolitz was with Troika?

Pushing those thoughts aside, he settled down and drifted off to sleep.

Tomorrow was another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who haven't read DreamKeepers here are links to the official website and character pages.
> 
> Official Website: http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/home.html
> 
> Karo: http://dreamkeepers.wikia.com/wiki/Karo
> 
> Igrath Winters: http://dreamkeepers.wikia.com/wiki/Igrath_Winters
> 
> Scinter: http://dreamkeepers.wikia.com/wiki/Scinter


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nolitz encounters an angry family member before he starts training.

Nolitz stirred, feeling the sun's warmth beam down onto his face. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes before opening them, being greeted by the blurred images of the barracks coming into focus.

Doing his early morning stretches, he felt a series of pops trailing down his spine. Getting out of bed, he opened his locker to get his clothes. After getting dressed, he went off in search of breakfast.

He had to admit Troika had a pretty impressive base. It had everything a group like them would need: clothes, supplies, weaponry. The only thing he was still trying to figure out was the base's location.

It had to be far from the city and difficult to find so it couldn't be Starfall Mountains or the Eridu Delta. The only places Troika could hide in were either the Diony Desert or the Cliffs of Ekklesia. Nolitz hoped it was the latter. He didn't want to wander around aimlessly in the desert without a map.

Speaking of maps, he wished Troika had one that led to the mess hall. It didn't take long for him to get lost. He noticed a nearby group of Troika soldiers sparring with each other. Some fought hand to hand, other used staffs or wooden blades.

"Hey." He approached one who was resting. "Do you know where I can find the mess hall?"

"Down the hall and take a left," the soldier responded. "It'll be on your right."

"Thanks."

As Nolitz made his way over, a sudden nearby explosion caused him to stumble. He joined the soldiers as they rushed off in the direction of the commotion, finding Shelly and several others struggling to put out their flame-ridden pants.

"Glad you could join us," Shelly grumbled, not even looking up as she patted down a small flame.

"What happened here?" Nolitz asked as he moved to assist the Troika medics who had just arrived.

Shelly shrugged, "Don't ask me, one moment I'm going to wake you up for breakfast, the next, I'm rolling around on the ground trying to put out my pants."

"Okay." Nolitz acknowledged, helping a doctor check a person for burns. "What caused the explosion?"

An orange and brown colored canine jabbed a thumb at Karo. "Ask him."

The raptor threw up his arms defensively. "I panicked!"

 **"You panicked?!"** Shelly snapped. "How can you call picking up a sparker and throwing it as soon as your pants catch on fire panicking?"

Nolitz watched as Karo looked around nervously at the others who were equally as pissed as Shelly.

"I- I told you guys I saw a purple blur race around our legs. So I grabbed the nearest thing I could reach, which regrettably was a sparker."

"Wait?" Nolitz looked up. "Did you say _'purple blur'?"_

"Y- Yeah?" Karo answered as the others turned to look at Nolitz.

"Did it also look a little dark red?"

"Yeah, how did you know?" Karo asked.

Nolitz facepalmed. "Damn it. How could I forget?"

"Forget what?" Shelly asked.

Nolitz sighed, "-also forgot to feed him."

"Forgot to feed who?" Shelly pressed, "Nolitz what are-"

Nolitz held up his hand. "I'll handle this." He moved his hand up to his lips and let out a shrill whistle that caused some of the others to cringe.

A few moments went by with nothing happening.

An ox member spoke up, "What exactly are we waiting for- Aah!" He quickly patted down the small flame on his pants as a purple and red streak raced away.

Karo pointed at it. "See? I told you!"

Everyone moved out of the way as the streak darted towards Nolitz. The blue-skinned Dreamkeeper didn't even flinch as it scampered up his body, wrapping around his neck like a scarf. All eyes were on him as the ryuu-neko growled hungrily.

Nolitz rolled his eyes. "I know Mischief. I know." He reached into his pocket and pulled out several pellets. He held them up to the hungry creature. "Dig in."

Mischief was a dark/fire ryuu-neko hybrid, which gave him a unique appearance. His body and eyes were a dark purple color while a dark red streak ran down his back to the tip of his tail. Also, his face and feet were a red violet.

Back in Oromoston, everyone always asked Nolitz why he took Mischief as a pet since dark ryuu-nekos were very mischievous and stubborn animals. That was the reason. Nolitz wanted to challenge himself and prove that he could tame the little creature. It was difficult, but he succeeded, to a degree. Mischief held on to his stubbornness and was a dick to everyone and thing. Nolitz considered Mischief at times to be both amusing and a nuisance.

"Since when did you have a ryuu-neko?" Shelly asked. "You've never been seen with one at all."

"Well, he doesn't really like music," Nolitz answered. "So he doesn't tag along whenever I perform."

"How the fuck did he find this place?" a Troika member spoke up. "There's no way he could have just followed your scent."

Nolitz shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you. My best guess is that Mischief may have hitched a ride as you brought me here."

"Well, why did he set our pants on fire?!" another person asked.

"He does that for entertainment," Nolitz explained. "It's a very twisted sense of humor."

"How the hell did you manage to make a pet out of a dark ryuu-neko?" Everyone turned to see Fezra walk over with first aid kits. "They're impossible to control."

Nolitz chuckled. "It wasn't easy, let me tell you. My sister and I found him on the streets when we were young." He scratched Mischief's chin, enticing a purr from the ryuu-neko.

"He was a hassle from the start, trying to bite us as we brought him home. What made it worse was that we already had a ryuu-neko named Pollen. We made sure to keep her away from him."

"He didn't try to eat her, did he?" Shelly asked with a concerned look that some of the others shared.

"Oh no, nothing like that," Nolitz reassured them. "Dark ryuu-nekos are very territorial, and Mischief is no exception. When he first saw Pollen, he immediately went after her to show dominance. He bit and scratched, but never tried to kill her."

He sighed at the memory. While it was fun to watch his mom freak out as Mischief chased Pollen, it didn't end well. During the chase, Mischief had knocked over a small pocket watch that belonged to Nolitz's grandfather. The mechanism was damaged, leaving the arms frozen in place. It was one of the few things left of Nolitz's grandfather after his death, making it one of his most valuable possessions. Nolitz came to forgive Mischief, but he used the incident as a reminder to keep the ryuu-neko in line.

Karo hesitantly took a step forward to get a better look at Mischief. "So he's under your control?"

Mischief spat a glob of embers in Karo's direction. The raptor yelped as he stumbled back in surprise, causing Nolitz and a few others to chuckle.

"Not entirely," Nolitz answered. "He still has trouble obeying commands. Plus he's a jerk to everybody he comes across, even me."

Mischief blew a raspberry at Nolitz as if to confirm his owner's answer.

"Well," Nolitz continued, ignoring Mischief's antics. "Now that introductions are out of the way, who's up for breakfast?"

* * *

During breakfast, Nolitz chose a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and juice. He sat down at a nearby table where he talked with several members of Troika.

While talking with Fezra, he was able to learn about how she joined Troika. Both she and Axmon had lost their parents to muggers when their families had decided to go out to dinner one night. Afterward, Axmon had to attend a Learning Center his parents had paid for while Fezra searched for job openings to earn money for both of them. These jobs are what kept her from spending time with her cousin.

Nolitz was surprised since Axmon had never mentioned anything about his parents before.

Fezra went on to reveal that she quit her jobs when Axmon ran away and spent the next couple weeks searching for him. She never found him, but Troika found her.

Nolitz also spoke with Karo and learned that he had lived in an orphanage for a time before joining Troika. The raptor talked about his time living under Grunn – a fellow Troika member who owned the orphanage, was occasionally drunk and used to be a sea-captain who explored the wide-open ocean during the prime of his life.

Finally, he met Rumour, an avian Dreamkeeper with mostly dark blue feathers, but with white feathers around the back of his head and the tip of his beak. He had pale blue eyes and white spots on the individual plumes of his wings. What Nolitz gathered about Rumour was that he was very organized and somewhat compulsive with his equipment. Karo explained that Rumour wouldn't let anyone touch a single piece due to how his Power worked. Other than that, Rumour preferred to remain silent most of the time.

"I don't like how he's looking at me," Karo muttered as Mischief stared at him. The ryuu-neko had kept his eyes on the raptor for the past ten minutes.

"Trust me it's better that way," Nolitz replied with a mouthful of eggs. "If he keeps staring then he's still contemplating whether to attack you or not."

"And if he stops staring?" Karo asked as Mischief flicked his tail.

Nolitz swallowed. "Then either you'll be able to walk away unharmed, or he'll set you on fire while you sleep."

"So his chances of surviving are fifty-fifty?" Fezra, who was sitting next to Karo, spoke up.

"More like sixty-forty," Nolitz answered.

Fezra turned to the now terrified raptor. "It's been nice knowing you, Karo."

Breakfast grew quiet after that. Mischief eventually looked away from Karo, but he left the raptor feeling paranoid.

"Alright, Stickman." Nolitz turned to see Shelly walking over. "Meal time's over, time to hit the field."

Nolitz sighed, "Alright. And you," he pointed at Mischief as he got up, "stay out of trouble."

His pet hissed but nodded in consent. He grumbled as he leaped off the table and wandered off. Several Dreamkeepers backed away as he walked by them.

"Don't worry, he won't do much," Nolitz called out to them, "Just be sure not to do anything to piss him off."

He followed Shelly out onto what looked like a makeshift training field. There were barricades, exercise equipment, and dummies.

"So what am I learning today?" He asked as they came to a stop.

The shark flashed her signature grin. "Everything."

 

* * *

 

Over the next few hours, Shelly had Nolitz go through every kind of exercise: running laps, sit ups, push ups, pull ups, and many more. It was difficult, but Nolitz knew this was what it took to join. He had to earn his keep or be kicked out. Eventually, he pushed himself a little too far and fell to the ground during his fiftieth lap.

Shelly was genuinely impressed with how he handled himself as most recruits barely lasted half of what he did. Nolitz explained that his father had signed him up for a fitness class when he was a kid.

"I always thought of it as torture, but I realized it was helping me," Nolitz said as he took a drink of water. "I found I could run a whole mile without stopping, or do twenty push-ups without breaking a sweat."

"It did a lot more than that," Shelly commented. "When I started training I could barely do up to twenty-five laps, let alone do 50 push-ups. Speaking of which, you were supposed to stop twenty laps ago."

Nolitz froze as he was taking another drink. The water was just inches from his lips. "What?"

Shelly looked at him with a smug grin.

Nolitz smirked back. "Well, I guess that outstanding performance means that my skills will soon be on par with yours."

Shelly snorted. "Not on your life Stickman. We're friends, but don't think that gives me a reason to go easy on you."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Nolitz responded before noticing Karo and Rumour watching them from a balcony. The raptor seemed to be laughing as he gave a small wave which Nolitz returned confused. "So, what's next?"

"I think we've done enough for today," Shelly responded. "We'll pick up tomorrow."

"When will I learn how to shoot a gun?" He asked.

"At this rate, I'd say about a week. Now come on I'm getting hungry."

As they made their way inside for lunch, Shelly suddenly perked up.

"Oh, that reminds me! You'll be starting your job after today."

"Job?" Nolitz arched an eyebrow.

"Well, you can't just stay here every day of the week," Shelly replied. "You need to have a job to maintain your cover."

"Alright, where will I be working?"

"Since it's already your profession, you'll be working as a DJ in Talocan District's The Underground Nightclub. It's a strip club owned by Scinter."

"Oh joy," Nolitz grumbled, "working for the guy who doesn't give a damn about the safety of my friends."

"Listen, I know he's not the nicest of people," Shelly commented with an annoyed look in her eye, "believe me I know, but he's one of Troika's best."

"I'll go along with it, for now, though I'm not happy about it," Nolitz responded as to change the subject. "By the way, isn't that the strip club near my home? And the one where I met Nainso?"

"Yeah, he'll be giving you a tour of the base after lunch."

"Hey, Nolitz." They both turned to see Bobby walk over. "Nainso's not happy with you. You were supposed to meet him for the tour a few hours ago."

Nolitz paused. "What?"

"Bobby, what are you talking about?" Shelly asked. "Igrath told me to train Nolitz before the tour."

"No Shelly." Bobby shook his head. "You were supposed to start training Nolitz _after_ the tour."  

The three of them stood in silence.

"...Oh, right."

* * *

"And on your left, you'll see the entrance to the training fields you were at earlier."

After lunch, Nolitz met up with Nainso to begin the tour, but not before explaining the miscommunication. They were joined by Karo who was rereading Nolitz's answers on the questionnaire. They were currently on a walkway overlooking most of the base.

Nolitz had met Nainso back at The Underground Nightclub when he was looking for a job. He was the one who wrote the questions Nolitz had to answer. Nainso Ziska was a high ranking member of Troika who specialized in retrieving information for the organization.

He was a feline Dreamkeeper with black fur and white fur on his cheeks, ears, neck, eyebrows, along most of his tail and a small tuft on his forehead. He also had light blue eyes.

Nainso handled himself in a very professional and gentleman-like way. He had a broad understanding of how the system worked and the consequences of engaging in illegal activities which he went over in detail with Nolitz when they first met. However, Nainso did tend to go into too much detail, even explaining every length and property of the natural caves the headquarters were made up of until Nolitz asked him to change the subject.

Like Nolitz, he also had a fire ryuu-neko named Diligence, who, like his owner, handled himself professionally. Understandably, he did not get along with Mischief.

"Those are telepads, aren't they?" Nolitz asked pointing down at three platforms with centers made from wood.

"Yes, they are," Nainso replied, following Nolitz's gaze. "I assume you know how they work?"

"If I recall, they're powered by live Jumpers or 'brain squids' as some people call them. People are required to step on the flo-wood in the center since Jumpers can only teleport living things. Specialized lenses and display disks are used to help technicians with pinpointing a location, and a mild shock is what activates them."

He turned back to an impressed looking Nainso. "Did I get that right?"

"Nearly spot on," the feline answered as the three of them continued the tour. "You have a bright mind, Mr. Onlok."

"My mother used to tell me that a lot when I was younger." Nolitz smiled. "Although, I'm not sure what she'd think if she read my answers on that questionnaire."

"I still can't believe you answered all of the questions." Karo laughed as the three of them made their way down. He stabbed at the paper, "How did you get away with that one?"

Nolitz shook his head. "Trust me. You don't want to know."

As they got to the bottom, one of the telepads activated. In about a second, four individuals stood on the platform.

"Merle." Nainso greeted them as they stepped off the platform. "You're here early."

Merle - a black goat with yellow eyes, stepped forward. "Sorry, Nainso, things went smoother than anticipated."

As the two of them talked, Karo introduced Nolitz to the other three.

First, there was Cole - a brown lagomorph who wore black fingerless gloves, a pink shirt, a blue sleeveless jacket, blue jeans, and black sneakers. He seemed to Nolitz like a friendly and cheerful individual.

Next was Dash - an overweight orange hippopotamus who wore a gray cap facing backward, black tank top and cargo shorts. He was energetic, somewhat slow and was famous for making hilarious videos. Nolitz saw him as a real bombastic individual.

The last one left Nolitz speechless.

She looked around his age with pale pink skin, golden reptilian irises, and hair that had mixtures of black, red, orange, blue and purple. She wore a blue shirt, purple jacket, black skirt, gray stockings, and purple boots.

She was pretty cute as well.

She held out her hand with a smile, revealing a pair of canines. "Hi, I'm Raz."

"H-Hi, nice to you too," he stammered as he shook her hand.

Karo noticed this and grinned slyly before gesturing to the others. "These guys are with Cosaint, a vigilante group from Oromoston."

"Oh yeah, I remember Igrath mentioned you guys," Nolitz recalled. He wondered if they were here to speak with Igrath or Scinter.

Karo slung an arm around Nolitz's shoulders. "And this right here is Nolitz Onlok."

"Nolitz Onlok?" Raz asked in surprise. "DJ L0ckd0wn himself? I'm such a big fan!"

Nolitz felt his cheeks heat up. "Thanks. It's always nice to meet a fan." Especially one that was very cute.

"Do you think I can get your autograph?" she asked in excitement as she took out her data scroll.

"Can I get a picture?" Cole added, pulling his data scroll out as well.

"Hold up! I gotta make a video of this!" Dash let out, echoing his teammate's actions.

Nolitz began to feel a little overwhelmed. He liked to interact with fans, but he couldn't handle too many at once.

"Will you three quit goofing around?" Merle butt in before Nolitz could respond. "We've gotta meet up with Igrath."

The others voiced their complaints, but they agreed nonetheless.

"Maybe later?" Cole suggested.

"Sure," Nolitz responded. He was glad that Merle intervened.

As Dash and Cole followed Merle, Raz stayed behind.

"Could I get one quick thing?" she asked, looking at her feet while she shifted awkwardly.

Nolitz smiled. One fan, he could handle. "Name it."

She looked up at him with a faint blush. "A hug?"

Nolitz didn't know what to say. Very rarely did fans ask for a hug, and the ones who did were mainly kids. This time, it was a cute girl.

Karo snickered as Nolitz struggled to find words, only managing to nod. Raz grinned and pulled him into a quick hug before following her friends, leaving Nolitz with a huge blush on his face.

"Well, now that that's over with, shall we continue?" Nainso asked as he walked over.

"Uh... Yeah," was all Nolitz could let out, not taking his eyes off of Raz's retreating form.

Nainso looked at him with an arched eyebrow. "Are you alright Nolitz?"

"The newbie's got a crush!" Karo responded, causing the blue Dreamkeeper to glare at him.

"Shut up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Easter everyone!
> 
> I based Raz's appearance off a model I saw in a VRChat video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpnhM5jRE_Q) (3:31)


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nolitz starts his first day on the job.

"It's good to see you again, Mr. Onlok. I was starting to think something bad had happened to you. Especially after your ryuu-neko ran loose."

Nolitz glanced at the possum front desk clerk. "Not to worry Ava; I'm still standing. Also, sorry about Mischief; you know how he can be."

She chuckled. "Of course. Though if we did notice you were missing, know that we would file a missing person report-"

"After a month has gone by or as soon as the premises have been thoroughly bleached and cleaned," Nolitz finished.

"Exactly."

Nolitz smiled, shaking his head as he made his way over to the elevators. Ava loved to remind clients about the company policy. "It's good to see you, Ava," he called over his shoulder.

"You too, Nolitz," she responded.

Nolitz waited for the inevitable 'ding' of the elevator arriving. He stepped inside, pressing the button to the nineteenth floor. He listened to the elevator music that played the whole way up, tapping his foot to the beat as Mischief slept peacefully around his owner's neck.

During their time in Anduruna, Nolitz and Mischief stayed at the Prismatic Spectrum - a condominium located in the Talocan District. It was one of several high priced places offered to Nolitz when he first arrived, mostly due to his celebrity status. Its name came from the varied and brilliant colors decorating each floor.

Talocan was a pretty decent place to live as it was full of people who were fun loving and outgoing. Unkind personalities were very rare in this district; you'd be able to make friends with anyone. Like the Spectrum, the architecture was rich in color and ornamentation, with mixtures of abstract sculptures and terraced pyramidal stonework. Along with tropical ocean currents, Talocan also had the most pleasurable beaches of Anduruna.

Nolitz had chosen Talocan because it reminded him of home. While not as grand as Anduruna, Oromoston itself was a beautiful city. He remembered how his little sister Arceya would drag him down to the coastline every morning after breakfast. Nolitz had always veered towards people with eccentric personalities, and Talocan was the place for him.

When he first checked in, Nolitz was given one free pass to the spa located on the twenty-first floor, along with a discount to use at the restaurant near the main lobby. Honestly, he wasn't one for being spoiled, but even he couldn't resist a free pass to a spa.

There was also a lounge for ryuu-nekos to relax that Mischief seemed to enjoy, especially since it gave him a whole lot more victims to drive insane. And of course, Nolitz had to pay back all the damages, which once cost over eleven hundred and ten lucre! The little bastard had been locked in a cage for a whole week for that.

The elevator came to a stop as it reached their floor. Stepping out, Nolitz headed towards his room.

After being assigned his job, Nolitz volunteered to go back to his apartment to collect his sound equipment. He had to admit it was good to get back to his music. He barely had time to practice while he was researching the Nightmares.

Nolitz had a deep love of music. When asked why he chose to become a DJ, he revealed that music gave him a feeling of freedom. He was a humble person with many things, but he prided himself on his commitment to great sound and the whole realm of music. Music moved Nolitz emotionally, whether it made him sad, happy, energetic or relaxed.

_It also makes me feel alive._

"Hey, Nolitz."

The DJ was drawn from his thoughts by a familiar voice. He turned to see a female German shepherd with brown eyes and short purple hair tied back in a small ponytail like his. She wore black-rimmed glasses and a CCA trooper uniform.

He smiled. "Hey, Karen."

Nolitz met Karen a week after he checked into the Spectrum. She had just checked in to room 1934 a few doors down from him. She bumped into him when he was on his way to hang out with his friends. Karen was somewhat clumsy as she had dropped a box of papers Nolitz was willing to help pick up. They became friends after that, usually helping each other out with certain chores or hanging out.

"I haven't seen you for the past couple days," Karen spoke with a slightly concerned look on her face. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, I've recently had to meet with contractors to schedule gigs," Nolitz explained. "I ended up having to crash at a friend's place."

"Geez, sorry to hear that, we both know what it's like to have to work late," Karen responded with a reassuring smile. She looked down at herself, gesturing to her uniform.

Nolitz chuckled. "Let me guess, another late shift?"

Karen smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. One of the other rookies has called in sick, so I have to fill in for them." Judging from how she sounded, Nolitz could figure that she wasn't looking forward to it. He understood what it was like to work late.

Nolitz suddenly felt something tickle his neck.

He looked down to see that Mischief had shifted in his sleep. Nolitz had to admit, despite Mischief's fiery tendencies, his fur was pretty soft. He made a warm and comfy scarf.

Karen smiled at the ryuu-neko. "And how's Mischief doing? Still a pain in the neck?"

"More like a pain in the ass," Nolitz responded, glaring down at the sleeping menace. "He still ambushes me at every opportunity he gets."

Karen giggled. "I find it adorable. It sets him apart from other ryuu-nekos."

Nolitz raised an eyebrow. "Is that a compliment or a warning?"

"...Both?" she replied after a moment of thinking.

A brief pause followed after.

"Well, I've enjoyed the two of us catching up, but I've got to get ready for my new job," Nolitz spoke as he made his way past her. He hated having to cut their time short, but it would take a few hours to move his equipment all the way to the strip club.

"Wait, you finally managed to find a steady job?" Karen called after him.

"Yeah." He turned around to face her, still moving toward his room. "We can celebrate with drinks some other time okay?"

Karen shook her head and chuckled before turning to leave. "Alright, see you then."

Nolitz felt for his keys as he approached his room. It had a cerulean blue door with a golden knob and a label that read '1926'. He paused; he had his keys, but he also felt something else. Pulling both out, he discovered a thumb drive with his last name on it. Nolitz looked around to make sure no one was watching and quickly entered his apartment.

His sudden movements woke Mischief from his nap. The ryuu-neko grumbled as he leaped down to the floor as his master entered the living room. Mischief watched on curiously as Nolitz switched on his data scroll and inserted the thumb drive.

Nolitz waited for it to download before selecting the drive. He flinched as the screen went static and a series of symbols appeared. They seemed like a mixture of letters, shapes, and numbers, which Nolitz recognized from a cipher his grandfather had used in his former service in the Oromoston Security Force during his youth. It was created to encrypt important information. Nolitz never learned what secrets it was hiding as his grandfather was forbidden to share, but he had taught Nolitz how to use the cipher.

 _It looks like I'll finally be able to put the skills I learned to use,_ Nolitz thought to himself as he picked up a pen and paper from the desk nearby.

He wrote down the symbols that appeared. When he finished, he began to decipher them. Nolitz hadn't seen the cipher in a while, so his skills were a little rusty. It took about half an hour before he finished, the text revealing a hidden password.

"It can't be..." He let out in disbelief.

"Project: L0ckd0wn," it read.

It was impossible. It had to be.

It was his grandfather's secret project and the source of Nolitz's stage name.

Nolitz immediately typed the password in. The screen flickered before changing to a blank page with a blue background. It took a few moments before turning to a white page covered with text.

* * *

**Journal Entry One:**

_My name is Greyson Vimor._

_I created this diary to keep track of my progress with Project: L0ckd0wn._

_It's been a week since this project started and I already have so many unanswered questions. The security force has held records of the Nightmares for a long time, but no one is allowed to look through them._

_The question is why? I've decided to look further into this matter. I'll elaborate more on this in my next report._

* * *

Nolitz leaned back in thought. _So, Grandpa was looking into the Nightmares as well? What about them made him so curious?_

Ever since he had witnessed his grandfather's death, people denounced Nolitz's claims that a Nightmare was responsible. After all, the Nightmares were just a myth. Even his family thought it was something his 10-year-old mind had made up.

The information the Security Force kept records of was very vital and had to remain a mystery to others. So if the Nightmares were just a myth, why would they be part of the records? And were they what got his grandfather killed?

* * *

**Journal Entry Two:**

_I didn't give much of an explanation in the last entry._

_I've always been fascinated by legends. Whether they involved gods, ryuu-nekos or anything else, it didn't matter to me. The Nightmares were no exception, and I wanted to know about their history._

_As a boy, all I saw of Nightmares were just cartoons in pictures books or creatures in stories. But as I grew up, I tried searching for actual records of Nightmares to no avail. No matter how hard I looked, I always ended up in a dead end._

_When I joined the Oromoston Security Force, I believed the records we held were available to read, and they were. All but the ones on the Nightmares, which were restricted._

_So, I became determined to figure out why those records were kept locked away. I will detail the beginnings of my search in the next report._

* * *

The following entries Nolitz read outlined the early stages of his grandfather's work. He decided to scroll all the down to the bottom of the journal where he came across his grandfather's final entry.

* * *

**Journal Entry Fifty:**

_I didn't want this to escalate out of control but there's no other option, the Security Force is coming for me. They've already erased my work, and apparently, I've turned in my resignation._

_The Security Force is done warning me. For the past couple of weeks I've been followed, day and night. I've even started holding a springer and a sparker as I sleep._

_And it's not just me. My whole family's under surveillance._

_I can't make everything I've found public. An acquaintance pointed out what the Security Force was capable of with their eyes set on everyone I love. So, on their suggestion, I'm sending all of this to them and their underground movement._

_There's no walking out of this alive. I'll most likely end up being torn apart by a Nightmare. The cause of my death will no doubt be covered up. I can only hope this movement will uphold its promise to keep my family safe._

_If any of them are currently reading this, especially Nolitz, I'm sorry you had to learn the truth this way._

_Be careful. If the Security Force, or whoever they work with discover what you know, you'll end up being one of their targets._

_Goodbye, and good luck._

* * *

Nolitz felt his anger grow as tears threatened to spill from his eyes. He felt as though a switch had gone off inside, leaving him unable to do or say anything.

The leaders of the Security Force, the ones who were supposed to protect Oromoston, were nothing but corrupt men and women who cared for nothing but their own well being. They were willing to do whatever it took to keep anyone from knowing their secrets.

Even Greyson Vimor - a long time veteran and well-respected member of the OSF- was just another piece of trash for them to discard. It didn't matter if he was a good husband or a beloved father of three, or a grandfather of five. To them, he was expendable.

Something soft brushed up against Nolitz's hand. He looked to see Mischief nuzzling him, looking up at him with a sad expression. Despite his stubborn and fiery personality, Mischief could detect his owner's emotions like any other pet. Nolitz smiled as he caressed Mischief's head while tears flowed down his cheek, the ryuu-neko licking his hand in response.

For the next few hours, Nolitz scoured the rest of the thumb drive, finding much information on the Nightmares. There were also several saved images of newspapers from Oromoston that mentioned mysterious disappearances and deaths. From what was on his grandfather's entries, the OSF had been erasing people who stumbled upon their secrets for years.

"Just like the CCA."

Nolitz's scroll suddenly vibrated, catching him off guard. A message from Shelly had appeared in the bottom right corner of the screen. She was asking what Nolitz was doing as he was supposed to have been at the club half an hour ago.

Nolitz quickly typed up a reply, apologizing for the delay, adding that he'd head out soon. As he approached the room phone, he paused when he saw his grandfather's pocket watch on the desk. Picking it up, he ran his thumb over the lid before opening it.

The arms were still in the same position.

"Seven minutes to midnight. How ironic," Nolitz said softly before closing the watch and setting it down. He then dialed the number for guest service.

"Yes, hello, if you could, please send workers up to room 1926… Yes, right now. I need some heavy equipment moved… Alright, thank you."

After hanging up, he made his way over to his scroll. He sat down and looked it over some more, with only one question on his mind.

How did he end up with this drive?

He hadn't been in close contact with anyone during the last couple of days. The only times he could remember was when Troika had captured him, and then when he received a hug-

His mind clicked.

"Raz..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nolitz has finally discovered why his grandfather died and that Raz had given it to him.
> 
> The question to the second part is why?


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nolitz confronts Raz about the thumb drive.

"You sure took your time."

As the workers brought in his equipment, Nolitz turned to see a beautiful pink and white fox glaring at him with her arms crossed. He recognized her as one of the Marallang twins he met when he first came to The Underground Nightclub.

He scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Yeah, sorry about that. I lost track of time while talking with a friend."

She waved her arm dismissively. "It's fine. You're new to Troika, so I'm letting it slide, but you need to be here really early next time."

"Thank you, uh...?"

"Digo," she answered. "I'm Digo."

"Got it." Nolitz looked around the club. "So, where do I put my-"

"Follow me," Digo replied, heading down a small set of stairs towards the right side of the club with Nolitz and the workers following.

Even though he had been to this club before, Nolitz couldn't help but look around at what it contained.

Right near the steps by the entrance, there were small pools for strippers to lie in along with some fermentae bottles to attract onlookers. Near the bottom of the stairs, there was a dance floor that was surrounded by many tables. There was also the main stage that came with a holographic waterfall.

Nolitz noticed several strippers were exercising on the main stage. The waterfall opened up to reveal another stripper that looked identical to Digo, except the colors of her fur were inverted.

He was mesmerized by her erotic yet fluid movements. When she noticed him staring, she stuck out her tongue and winked. Nolitz turned away in embarrassment as the blood rushed to his cheeks. He could not deny that the Marallang twins were among the most beautiful women he had ever met.

He noticed Digo smirking at him with her hands on her hips.

"I see Indi is getting ready for tonight," he commented, unable to come up with an excuse.

"Yep, the two of us always prepare when it comes to performing," Digo added. "Luckily for you, you're currently getting help from the pretty one."

She turned around and continued on her way, now with a noticeable sway of her hips. Nolitz grew even more flustered. The twins knew that just like every other male, Nolitz hid his perversions deep down and loved teasing him.

Nolitz quickly shook off his thoughts and followed after Digo. Behind the stage were a few curtains that led to private rooms. To the left of those was the bar where he had met Digo which led to meeting Nainso.

He paused. Raz was sitting at the bar, talking to one of the bartenders. Nolitz had to get her alone. He needed answers.

"The DJ booth is up there," Digo's voice snatched Nolitz from his thoughts.

He followed her gaze and saw a booth that sat a few feet above some private sitting areas. He also noticed a torn, upside down CCA banner draped across it. They approached a door beneath it and went inside, walking up a set of stairs toward the station.

"Here we are," she said, gesturing around the booth as they entered. "Sorry if it's a little small."

Nolitz waved his arm dismissively before turning to assist the workers carrying his equipment. "It's fine. As long as I'm able to perform."

"So you can handle things from here?"

Nolitz nodded as he helped a worker carrying a stereo. "Yeah. Just let me set everything up, and I should be ready to go."

"Alright, I'll leave you to it," she responded, waiting for the rest of the workers to come up before heading back down the stairs. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Will do," Nolitz called after her as he and the worker set the stereo down.

After paying the workers for bringing his equipment, Nolitz spent the next hour setting everything up. When he finished, he checked the time. He had an hour left before the club opened, and he wasn't going to waste it.

Nolitz made his way downstairs. Keeping his eyes on Raz, he made his way over to the bar. She turned to face him when he was within eyesight.

"Hey, Nolitz!" She grinned, getting up from her seat. "How are you doing?"

Nolitz smiled. "I'm doing good. Just finished setting up my equipment."

Raz paused. "Wait. You're working here?"

"Uh, yes?"

Nolitz watched as Raz's eyes lit up in glee. He couldn't help but chuckle as she looked like a kid in a candy store. He quickly shook off his thoughts. He needed to focus.

"There's something I wanted to talk about with you if that's okay?"

Raz calmed down. "Sure. What is it?"

Nolitz looked around. He didn't want anyone, especially the twins, to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Is it okay if we talk somewhere private?" He gestured towards the private rooms.

Raz looked to where he was pointing and grew flustered. "W-we just met. Don't you think that's a little sudden?"

It took Nolitz a few seconds to realize what she meant. "No! Th-that's not what I meant!" He responded, looking away as he grew flustered in turn. "I just want the two of us to talk in private."

"Oh," she smiled, letting out a sigh of relief. "Alright then."

Nolitz checked to see if anyone was watching them before they entered one of the rooms.

The lights bathed the room in a pink glow. Gold sculptures of male and female Dreamkeepers in erotic positions lined the wall. Nolitz was surprised by the number of cushions and pillows littering the floor. Looking up, he grew nervous when he saw the glass ceiling.

"You don't have to worry about the ceiling," Raz spoke to him. She was currently gathering multiple cushions to make a small pile. "There's nothing above these rooms, so the only way for anyone to see is by walking in."

"That's a relief."

"So," she sat down on her cushion pile and turned to him. "What are we talking about?"

Nolitz reached into his pocket, pulling out the thumb drive and held it up for her to see.

The tension in the room was thick; one could almost hear a pin drop. Raz adopted a nervous look as they stared at each other.

Nolitz spoke with a calm but stern tone. "Explain. Now."

Raz looked down, her eyes darting around as she tried to figure out what to say. She let out a sigh, sat up and looked at him with serious eyes.

"You deserved to see it. It belongs to you."

Nolitz was perplexed. "What do you mean; I  _deserved_  to see it?"

Raz looked away uncomfortably. Nolitz sat down against the wall near her.

"Raz. I need to know."

Raz turned back. "After his discovery of the Nightmares, your grandfather needed someone he could trust, and as chance would have it an associate of his was a member of Cosaint. His research gave them a huge advantage when dealing with the OSF. Out of respect, your grandfather's associate made Cosaint promise never to involve your family as a way to keep you all safe."

She paused to allow Nolitz to absorb the information. He was angry that Cosaint kept the truth from his family, but he was also grateful for their protection.

"I remember when I saw the news of your grandfather's death," she continued. "My parents, like everyone else, didn't believe your claims about the Nightmare. I didn't know what to think myself, but I couldn't help but feel bad for you."

Nolitz slightly frowned as he sat down against the wall. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate her condolences, but it seemed odd Raz would give him the thumb drive just because she felt bad for him.

Raz looked as if she was reliving old memories. "Do you remember when you became DJ L0ckd0wn? Your first album was great."

Nolitz was caught off guard by the question. "Thanks?"

Looking back, he remembered the positive reception his first album got when it was released. He never expected to gain so much popularity because of it.

"I used to listen to your music whenever I felt down," Raz continued, drawing Nolitz from his thoughts. "It helped me through a lot of rainy days."

"Not that I don't like reliving memories, but why are you bringing that up?" Nolitz asked.

"Well, while I did believe you deserved to know the truth, I also felt obligated to return the favor for cheering me up," Raz explained.

"Ah."

Things grew quiet after that, with neither Raz nor Nolitz knowing what to say. Nolitz was grateful that Raz was honest with him, but now everything seemed anti-climatic.

"Well," he spoke, "this is awkward."

"Yeah," Raz agreed, looking off to the side. "So, what do we do now?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, honestly, but I do have one last question."

She looked back at him. "What's that?"

"Do you know what's on this drive?"

She nodded. "Yeah, everyone who's part of Cosaint does."

Nolitz froze as he processed the information.  _"Everyone?"_

"Every member is tasked with studying certain entries as part of their training." Raz acted like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I did tell you that research was important to Cosaint."

She pointed at the thumb drive. "You did look through that right?"

"Well, ye-"

"Wait. Do you not know how to decipher it?"

"I do, my grandpa-"

A slow looked of realization came across her face. "Oh, I'm such an idiot!"

Nolitz tried to get her attention. "Raz, I-"

He was surprised when Raz facepalmed before standing up and pacing.

"I should've just gone ahead and deciphered it. Make it easier for you."

"Uh..."

She rubbed her eyes. "Why didn't I realize that before?"

Nolitz stood up. "Raz..."

"I mean, it makes sense that your grandfather had to keep it all secret..."

 _Okay, this is getting annoying,_  he thought. "Raz."

"Just handing all that information over to you without..."

"Raz!" Nolitz grabbed Raz by the back of her shoulder and turned her around to face him. "I know how to decipher it!"

She blinked several times in surprise. "You do?"

He nodded. "Yes. My grandfather taught me. So you don't have to beat yourself up, alright?"

Raz closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay."

It was then the two realized their faces were just inches from each other. Nolitz lost himself staring at her golden, reptilian eyes. He saw her cheeks redden with each passing second as he felt his glow red.

"Wow," the two turned to see Digo leaning against the entrance with a sly smile. "The first day on the job and you've already managed to charm Raz. _No está mal_ Nolitz."

Nolitz and Raz quickly separated, both of their faces flushed. Noltiz swiftly stashed the thumb drive into his pocket so Digo couldn't see it.

"We were just, um..." Raz tried to explain the situation.

Digo held up her hand. "Hey, if you guys have something going on, far be it from me to judge. But you better get to your stations quick, 'cause we're about to open."

"Nolitz nodded. "Right got it."

Digo rolled her eyes and shook her head still smiling as she left while Nolitz and Raz waited for their faces to cool down.

"We... can talk some more about this later," Nolitz suggested, avoiding eye contact.

"Yeah," Raz copied Nolitz's movements. "Sounds good."

With that, the two made their way to their respective places, still trying to avoid eye contact.

As he climbed the stairs to the DJ booth, Nolitz couldn't help but smile. He found the answers he was looking for, and he was in a private room with an attractive girl. That was two victories in one day.

 _What else will this day bring?_  He thought as he entered the booth and put on his headphones.


	6. Chapter 5

Nolitz smiled as he bobbed his head to the beat. Neon lights flashed all around him as he adjusted the volume.

Beneath him, the club was packed. Dreamkeepers were all over the dance floor, dancing in ways that looked like bizarre mating rituals to Nolitz.

The tables were full of patrons who were either talking, drinking, sleeping or watching the strippers on the main stage. Dancers were also leading patrons to the back rooms.

Nolitz couldn't help but become mesmerized by Indi's movements as she danced on the main stage. At one point she must've noticed him staring, so she performed some extremely erotic positions while keeping her eyes on him the entire time. He didn't realize how long he was staring until a bit of drool fell on his arm.

He blushed heavily, wiping it off on his pants before wiping his mouth. It didn't make a difference since Indi caught him in the act. She was still looking up at him as she continued dancing. Nolitz could tell she was trying not to laugh despite her poker face. She stuck her tongue out at him and winked before turning back to the patrons.

Nolitz rolled his eyes and shook his head, turning down the ambiance in the background of the music.

His first day was going pretty well all things considered. New friends, breaks and testing out new songs. As a DJ, he was paid and scheduled to appear at parties, clubs, or concerts that stretched out way into the night. He always fell flat on his bed every time he got back to his room.

Mischief took advantage of that, much to Nolitz's annoyance. He hated music, so he never accompanied his owner to his gigs, but he grew bored because of his owner's absence. Sometimes he would lay in wait and ambush Nolitz whenever he came home.

Nolitz checked his data scroll. It was almost time for his break. He typed a command in his data scroll to automatically play a playlist he had saved before leaving the booth. Along the way to get a drink, he high-fived a few fans.

As he neared the bar, he saw Digo communicating with a waiter through sign language. The two seemed to be having a decent conversation before the waiter left to deliver a drink to a nearby table.

Digo turned to Nolitz with a smile.  _"Buena elección de música, amigo."_

He nodded and sat down. "Thanks. I'm just glad I can take a break."

"Well actually, I need your help," she replied with a small apologetic look. "One of the bartenders had to call in sick, and their shift is supposed to start in five minutes. I haven't been able to find a replacement, so I was wondering if you had any knowledge of bartending."

"Yeah."

Digo blinked.  _"¿Qué?"_

"I know how to bartend."

She blinked again. "Seriously?"

"I didn't become a DJ just like that," Nolitz snapped his fingers while letting out a chuckle. "I had to work my way up and find enough money to pay for my equipment. So, I ended up having many different types of jobs, one of which happened to be bartending."

Digo leaned all the way onto the bar, invading Nolitz's space, chin resting on her arms as she absorbed the new information. "Huh. What are the odds?"

Nolitz smiled and leaned away from her slightly. "So, what did you need?"

Digo reached under the counter and pulled out an apron. "Someone who can ready themselves in less than two minutes."

* * *

"And that's how I went from being a DJ to a bartender is less than two minutes," Nolitz finished as he passed a recently filled glass of fermentae to a customer. "Though I do wish I had taken my break."

For the last twenty minutes, Nolitz had been working at the bar, making drinks and talking with fans.

"No kidding," a brown donkey commented as he drank his refill.

"You know what? I'm no longer mad we came to the wrong club," a purple badger sitting on the donkey's left spoke up. "I mean, we got to meet DJ L0ckd0wn!"

The fans Nolitz was currently serving were named Mu, Taylor, Jess, and Marty. The four of them were hoping to spend their night celebrating at a newly built LGBT club but accidentally ended up coming to The Underground Nightclub due to poorly written directions. With no idea about the other club's location, they decided to stay for a drink.

"I know, right?" Marty – a light brown dog with brown hair – agreed as he leaned on the counter. "No one ever really gets a chance like this."

"You're telling me," Jess – the yellow lion sitting next to Marty – spoke up. "Too bad you weren't playing when we came in."

Nolitz shrugged. "Well, at least you guys can listen to the playlist."

The badger perked up. "Is your latest album part of it?"

The DJ shook his head. "Sorry Taylor, not tonight."

"Aww."

The donkey patted him on the back. "Maybe next time."

"Mu's right," Jess added. "You can always buy it at a store."

Taylor looked at him as if he was crazy. "Who the hell buys an album at a store when they can listen to it for free?"

Nolitz smiled and rolled his eyes. Taylor's antics reminded him of himself when he was younger. His sister even acted like that too, especially when it came to cleaning her room.

Out of the corner of his eye, Nolitz noticed someone new had arrived at the bar. He politely excused himself and approached the newcomer.

"Can I get you anything, sir?"

The patron was a black scaled snake in a grey suit. He had a neck that stretched out a few feet.

He regarded Nolitz with golden colored eyes, not unlike Raz's. "Fire Reed." His voice had a slight rasp to it.

Nolitz nodded. "Coming up."

As he proceeded to make the drink, Nolitz couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that the snake was staring directly at him.

Confused, Nolitz looked left and reft before cracking a small smile. "You do know the main stage is behind you, right?"

The snake shook his head and leaned back in his seat. "Apologies, I thought you were someone I knew."

Nolitz chuckled slightly. "It's alright; I get that a lot." He handed the beverage to the patron. "Enjoy."

"Hey, Nolitz." The DJ turned to see Lulu – a gold, brown, and white colored canine with light blue eyes and a light blue nose – approach the bar with a tray. "Can I get a double order of Scinter's Mark?"

"Sure thing. What kind?"

Lulu checked her notepad. "Two coffee flavored forreyd."

"You got it."

Nolitz quickly prepared the two drinks and placed them on the waitress's tray.

"Thanks," Lulu smiled as she left to deliver the order.

"So, Nolitz," Marty spoke up as he finished up his drink and held out the empty glass to the DJ. "How have you enjoyed Anduruna?"

Nolitz took the glass and began to refill it. "It's been great. A little too crowded though."

Jess chuckled as he rested on the bar countertop. "You ain't lying."

"Honestly the only real problem with this city is the CCA," Taylor grumbled after downing his drink.

Mu, Jess, and Marty groaned. Nolitz surmised that Taylor had done this before.

Taylor turned to his friends. "You know I'm right. Those fuckers never let anyone have a say when it comes to the laws in this city." He then turned to Nolitz. "You should know, Nolitz, you've been on the news disagreeing with the CCA and the laws."

Nolitz hadn't expected the conversation to take a sharp turn. "I, uh, well yeah I mean, I have spoken against them, but there's just so much only one person can do."

Mu turned to Taylor. "He's right you know. The CCA make people feel safe."

 _That's not what I meant,_  Nolitz thought as the four friends began to argue. This conversation is starting to escalate.

"What about the CCA makes people feel safe?!" Taylor snapped at his boyfriend.

Mu held up his hands in defense. "I'm just saying people feel safe when they know they're under protection."

"Protection?!" Several patrons turned toward the bar. Nolitz began to feel uneasy.

"What kind of protection does the CCA offer?"

"I'm not trying to encourage this argument," Marty spoke up, placing a hand on Mu's shoulder. "But Taylor does have a point."

"Hey guys," Nolitz tried to get the group's attention. "You're causing a scene."

Jess looked around at the spectators. "He's right; this has to calm down."

"Back off Jess," Taylor growled.

The lion backed away slightly, as did Marty.

"Woah, Taylor..." the latter said.

"Okay, seriously Taylor, you have to calm down, or I'm gonna have to ask you to leave," Nolitz stated as he pointed toward the club entrance.

Taylor whirled on him. "Big talk coming from the kid whose grandpa was part of the security force back home!"

_...What?_

Nolitz froze in place, unable to comprehend what he had just heard. His eyes glued to the bar countertop below him.

"Taylor!" Mu snapped, grabbing the badger by the arm. "That's enough!"

The badger, who was now on the verge of tears, pushed the donkey away. "You know, no one here has it easy as you, Nolitz! You got to have a perfectly normal life that led to stardom!"

Everything around Nolitz had become a blur as the feeling he felt when he had discovered the reason for grandfather's fate returned. Tears were slowly beginning to form as he stood in silence, tuning out the shouting.

"I wonder if the law enforcement back in Oromoston is just like the CCA!" Taylor continued as Mu tried to drag him away.

 _Heh, heh. You have no idea._  For reasons unknown, a grin was slowly beginning to etch its way across Nolitz's face.

Marty was the first to notice it. "Jess?"

Jess followed his boyfriend's line of sight and began to worry. "What the?"

_*tck – tck – tck – tck*_

The two watched uncomfortably as Nolitz slowly drummed his fingers on the bar countertop, the grin never leaving his face.

Jess turned to Taylor. "Dude, seriously, stop."

Taylor was about to retort when something caught his and Mu's attention. Confused, Jess turned back to see that Nolitz was now staring directly at Taylor, the sharp tips of his teeth seemed to gleam.

_*tck – tck – tck – tck*_

Marty turned to his boyfriend. "We should go."

Jess nodded. "Yeah."

The four friends began to walk away, but Taylor had one last comment to vent under his breath.

"Old man was probably corrupt, which was what got his ass – urk!"

In one swift motion, Nolitz grabbed Taylor by the neck and yanked him back, causing him to slam against the bar. The badger stared in terror at the DJ's very sharp teeth.

Several of the patrons at or near the bar had gone silent as they witnessed the confrontation. Taylor's friends moved forward to help him but stopped when Nolitz turned to them.

The tension was high as a faint blue glow began to form in Nolitz's eyes. A brief, raspy giggle escaped his mouth as he turned back to Taylor, drool dripping from his teeth.

"Wai-" Nolitz tightened his grip on Taylor's throat, silencing what he was going to say.

"A person can act tough all they want," he spoke as Taylor struggled in his grip. "But the moment shit hits the fan, they plea for mercy. Heh. It's quite pathetic actually."

Mu tried to step forward, but Jess and Marty held their arms out to stop him. Before he could ask them to move aside, they pointed out the tears that were sliding down Nolitz's face.

"You think I've had an easy life?" Nolitz asked as his tears dripped onto the bar countertop. "You think I don't know how it feels to have nothing?"

"I..." Taylor struggled to speak.

"My Grandfather was a great man. He lived a normal mask, and never asked anything of anyone!" He choked back a few tears. "So don't spout lies and insults about someone you've never met!"

He suddenly felt a hand gently grab his shoulder. Without letting go of Taylor, he quickly swiveled his head to look over his shoulder. His expression faltered when he saw it was Raz.

She looked at him with concern and fear. "Nolitz..."

He recoiled in surprise, letting go of Taylor. He looked around, realizing what he had done. "I, uh..."

Mu placed a hand on the frightened Taylor's shoulder, startling him. "We're gonna head out."

Taylor looked at him in surprise before nodding. "Y-yeah." He then turned back to Nolitz. "Nolitz, I-"

"Just go," the DJ muttered.

The four of them walked away to the entrance.

Marty turned back. "It was nice meeting you Nolitz."

"Yeah," Jess added with a nervous smile. "Have a good night."

Nolitz didn't look them in the eye as he nodded. He was ashamed that he let Taylor's comments get to him, especially during his first day on the job.

The patrons at the bar who had witnessed the confrontation had moved away to avoid the DJ's anger. He didn't blame them. It was rare for that side of him to ever appear. It had manifested shortly after his grandfather's death, leading his family to seek treatment, which helped, though not as well as they hoped.

"Nolitz," Raz's voice broke him from his thoughts. "What happened?"

He turned away. "They opened up old wounds."

"What do you mean?"

"I'd rather not talk about it." He turned back around to face her. "Especially since I just blew up on my first day on the job."

Raz looked around. "Well, luckily for you, no one else saw that aside from the patrons."

Nolitz eyes widened. "Really?"

She nodded. "Why don't you take a break for now? Let your temper cool. Don't worry I'll talk with the twins and explain what happened. Hopefully, they won't punish you too hard."

"Won't they need someone at the bar?"

They both looked at the empty seats in front of them. "Nevermind."

Raz chuckled lightly and patted him on the shoulder. "Enjoy your break."

"Yeah," Nolitz commented as she walked off. "A break."

He untied his apron, folded it up, and placed it under the counter. Letting out a sigh, he poured himself a drink.

"Wow. That was quite a fierce temper."

Nolitz started, nearly spilling his drink. Looking to his left, he saw the snake from earlier still at his seat.

Nolitz blinked. "I thought you would've left with the others."

The snake laughed. "And miss the chance to see another show?"

Nolitz's eyes narrowed as he tightened the grip on his drink. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

The snake snickered as Nolitz took a sip. "I thought you looked familiar. I'd recognize that glare anywhere. You're related to Greyson Vimor aren't you?"

Nolitz froze, the glass now an inch from his lips. He slowly looked back at the patron with wide eyes. "How...?"

"You're not the only one in Anduruna who came from Oromoston," the patron replied as he downed his glass. "Greyson had that same glare."

Nolitz stood up straight and walked over to him. "You knew my grandfather?"

"You got cotton in your ears? Yes, I knew him," the snake replied with an annoyed look. "He was a good man. I remember he mentioned having grandkids."

Nolitz had trouble figuring out what to say. How could his grandfather possibly be acquainted with a person like him?

"You seem confounded," the snake commented. "Have another drink. It should scramble your thoughts even more."

Nolitz deadpanned, "and they say you should listen to your elders."

"Watch it, kid," the guy growled. "I may not be in the prime of my youth, but I still know how to break bones."

Things grew quiet for a few moments before the patron spoke up. "You know, Vimor was a genius when it came to coding. He could crack almost anything."

"I know, he-" Nolitz quickly stopped himself by downing his glass. Damn it! He couldn't believe he had almost revealed what his grandfather had taught him.

Noltz had also failed to realize he was drinking too fast until the drink went down the wrong way.

The patron watched as Nolitz coughed uncontrollably. "That wasn't a smart move was it?"

Nolitz's cheeks flushed as he struggled to control himself. "Sorry."

The guy shrugged. "Whatever, just try to take it slow next time."

"Excuse me?"

The two turned to see a woman walk over. "Hi, Nolitz right? I'm the one who was late to work."

"Oh." Nolitz set his glass down and untied his apron. "Uh, yeah."

"Thanks for covering my shift," she smiled. "I appreciate it."

"No problem," Nolitz replied before turning back to the patron."So uh, it was nice talking with you, mister..."

"Zythe," he answered.

"Right."

"Nice talking with you too, Nolitz Onlok."

Nolitz paused. "How...?"

"I came from Oromoston, remember?" Zythe rolled his eyes.

Nolitz walked off before he felt anymore awkward.

Making his way to the booth, he saw Raz was talking with Digo. Even though she was many feet away, her gold eyes glistened in the club. Ever since he met Raz, a decision had formed in his mind, and now he was ready to act on it.

He made his way confidently over to Raz and Digo as they finished their conversation. Raz stepped away from the fox and turned to Nolitz.

"You're in luck Nolitz. I spoke to Digo and-"

"Go out with me."

Raz looked as if she had just witnessed a murder. "What?"

"Go out with me," Nolitz repeated as the heat rushed to his cheeks. "Will you please?"

Raz's mouth was agape as she stared in shock at the DJ. Even in the club's lighting, he could see her cheeks darken.

"I..."

Nolitz moved to catch her as her legs gave out. He helped her over to a nearby empty booth. As she sat down, he noticed a tear sliding down her cheek.

He knelt beside her. "Raz? Are you doing alright?"

Raz surprised him with tear-filled eyes and a small smile.

"I just...well, this is gonna sound really weird." She took a deep breath. "Would you mind if I said 'I may have dreamed of this moment once or twice?'"

"...a little."

They both felt awkward after that. Nolitz invited Raz up to the booth to talk so they could get to know each other.

He learned Raz was a self-taught artist who was skilled at drawing ryuu-nekos. When Nolitz told her about Mischief, she asked if illustrating him would be alright.

"As long as you don't do anything to piss him off," he answered.

Other than that, Raz was a big fan of action movies.

Raz learned that Nolitz was very protective when it came to his family, especially his little sister. He also enjoyed napping and relaxing with friends.

Things grew quiet between them, with the two resorting to listening to the music. An hour later, they were walking out the door. Before that, Nolitz retrieved his data scroll and had his equipment put away for the next DJ.

As they reached the entrance, an aquatic looking Dreamkeeper with a grey fedora and purple jacket rushed through the door.

"Coming through!" he cried out, bolting past them into the club.

"What's up with him?" Nolitz asked.

"I guess he needs a stiff one," Raz commented. "Either that or he just wants friends."

Nolitz chuckled as they exited the club. "Good one."

* * *

 The night wind was cool and calm, sending shivers down their spines as it brushed against them. Nolitz was caught a little off guard when Raz held his hand.

"I had a great time tonight." She smiled at him with flushed cheeks. "I never expected that you'd ask me out so soon after we met."

Nolitz chuckled. "Nor did I."

"Well, there is something important you need to know."

The two came to a stop.

"What?"

Raz hesitated and looked to the side. "My team and I have been called back to Oromoston. We leave in about a week."

Nolitz looked at her in surprise. "Oh."

"Yeah."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lulu is modeled after Luna who belongs to http://www.furaffinity.net/user/rundown/.
> 
> Jess, Marty, Taylor, and Mu belong to https://www.furaffinity.net/user/onta/.
> 
> Special thanks to both artists for letting me use their characters.


	7. Chapter 6

Nautico had slipped up – again. If he ended up losing his objective, there'd be hell to pay.

He ran through the maze of old sewers, trying to think of ways that could help him catch up to his target. When the hunt began, Daemonara informed Nautico that all they had learned about the rogue he was chasing was that they would be at a meeting in a strip club called The Underground Nightclub. The club's location, however, was another matter. He had spent the whole day searching every club in Anduruna, turning up nothing.

Daemonara did not want to draw attention to Nautico's mission, so the CCA would not get involved unless they were deemed necessary. Grateful at first, Nautico soon wished he had backup after hours of searching alone. Fortunately, Nautico had finally managed to learn the club's location with the aid of a helpful Samaritan, who told him that it was in the Talocan District. However, it cost him an hour of time.

Nautico quickened his pace. Daemonara was disappointed with him for losing the shipment of gas so he couldn't afford another mistake. It didn't help that Daemonara also had to rely on another informant to find out who stole the shipment.

The Samaritan had said that this route was the quickest way to the club. Although, he was blubbering most of the time, so it was hard to make out what he was saying.

A grate appeared on his right, barely more than a dark impression in the stone wall. For what was probably the hundredth time, he wished the city would light these tunnels. The big shots upstairs most likely kept them dark to save their pocket money.

He crouched before the grate, grabbed it with both claws and pulled. It partially gave way after a couple of seconds before it completely came free. Small pieces of loose mortar fell as he tossed the lid aside.

Ducking inside, he made his way through the low tunnel at a quick jog. To avoid the possibility of losing his turn, he let his claws slide along the cold stone wall. Something squishy, cold, and damp coated the wall and began to slather the tips of his appendages.

He let out a sigh of relief when the tips met air. He turned right, only to run head first into a low overhang. He stumbled and fell, the wall failing to provide any support.

"Damn it! Lights! Is it too much to ask for some fucking lights?!" He rubbed his head as he stood up.

Making sure to duck his head, he kept moving. A few steps later, a faint glow began to cut through the darkness ahead of him. The tunnel walls brightened from a black void to a sickly gray surrounding.

Nautico slowed his pace as the glowed sharpened. The tunnel opened into a huge intersection. A beam of moonlight poured through a small hole in the sewer cover up above. Despite the moon shining through, it was hard to see the ladder.

"Glad I've got myself covered," he murmured as a pale blue halo appeared above his head. He stopped when he noticed how much light the glow provided.

There would be time for self-criticism later – he had a job to do. Climbing up a ladder using one arm and a pair of legs with no feet was no easy task. He nearly lost his grip three times. Fortunately, the glow of his halo was enough to see.

He raised his other arm as he reached the cover. The sound of rushing water filled his ears as a column of clear liquid rose up from the ground and forcibly removed the lid. The cold air rushed in to greet him. With the deed done, the halo vanished, and the column of water collapsed.

The ambient noise of the city surrounded him as he climbed out of the sewer. Brushing off his clothes, he made sure no one had seen him. The opening was in the middle of a narrow alley, with no one in sight.

With great difficulty, Nautico dragged the cover back over the hole and continued on his way. Exiting the alley, he spotted a club on the other side of the road. Pulling out his data scroll, he checked his notes.

The club he was looking for was called The Underground Nightclub. Looking back at the building, Nautico saw a sign that with the same name. He found the right place.

With no time to waste, he switched the device off, stuffed it in his pocket and rushed toward the building. He used one claw to hold his hat to keep it from flying off.

"Coming through!" He cried out as he entered the door and brushed past a couple of Dreamkeepers on their way out.

He resisted the urge to interact with the strippers as he made his way into the building. Moving through the crowd, he managed to wave down a waitress.

"Can I get you anything, sir?" She gave him a small, adorable smile before she suddenly backed up, using her tray to cover her nose.

Nautico arched an eyebrow at her sudden movement. "You okay?"

"I'm fine sir," she replied with an anxious look in her eyes. "It's just that you have a very peculiar odor."

Nautico began to notice just how many people were looking at him with a disgusted look in their eyes.

Oh right, I fell in the sewer.

He turned to the waitress. "Do you have a place where I can remedy this?"

She pointed to the left. "Over there."

"Thanks." He made his way to the facility, ignoring the looks of disgust along the way.

* * *

 "Well this sucks," he spoke to his reflection.

He managed to scrub off most of the muck and grime on his scales, giving them a little gleam. His clothes, on the other hand, were another matter.

It had taken almost a full hour until he was sure they were clean. His clothes were now damp, and the smell still lingered though it wasn't as bad as before.

Closing his eyes, he let out a sigh and banged his head against the mirror. Another hour wasted because of his negligence.

By now, his prey had already left, which meant another failure. In all honesty, he didn't know what to do. Except, for one thing.

He begrudgingly pulled out his data scroll and typed in a number. A few seconds later, someone picked up.

_"You're the last person I ever expected to call me."_

"Shut up and listen," he growled. "I think I may have lost my target."

_"Another mess up? Geez, this is not your week is it?"_

Nautico did a quick look around the room to make sure no else occupied it. “You think I don’t know that?! Daemonara was going to rip me apart! I was lucky you contacted him.”

_"Well, I know you didn't call to thank me. So what do you want?"_

Nautico let out a sigh. "Have you by any chance heard anything about them? The target I mean. I can't fail again, Sunners."

Several seconds went by before Sunners spoke.

_"Nothing's come up for me. Your target might still be in your area."_

Nautico let out another sigh, this time with relief. There was still a chance. _  
_

"Alright. Then I'll get back to work. Oh, and Sunners?"

_"Yeah?"_

"While I am grateful, if you tell anyone I called you for help, I'll rip your fucking spine out! Got it?"

The other end was silent until Sunners chuckled. _"Whatever."_

After ending the call, Nautico looked back and at his reflection and straightened his clothes.

"Now or never."

* * *

Exiting the restroom, he approached the first waitress he saw.

"Excuse me?"

She turned around to face him. "Yes? Would you like to order something, sir?

Her overall appearance was that of a multicolored canine with light blue eyes and a light blue nose.

Nautico's eye widened, and he quickly pulled his hat over his face to cover his small blush. He had an affinity for anything he found cute.

"No thank you. I'm looking for someone. A... friend."

That was a word Nautico rarely used anymore. Honestly, he couldn't even remember the last time he used the word, as Daemonara was his employer and he found it difficult to let loose when cooperating with other members of their organization.

"A lot of people come in here every day," the waitress said as she looked around the sea of dancers and patrons. "Is there anything unique about their appearance, like body features or clothing?"

Now that was a problem. The target's identity and appearance were unknown to anyone who was searching around the city for them. Aside from a single shirt, there was nothing else they found. No traces of DNA were left behind on it.

Fortunately, the rogue's research on criminal activity gave Nautico's superiors information on a small group of criminals known as the Dwellers.

The Dwellers were mainly just a group of guns for hire, either that or just a bunch gun-toting wannabes. There probably wasn't any evidence of a connection with Nautico's target, but it was a step.

Nautico was so caught up in his thoughts he failed to realize he had been standing still, for a solid minute.

The waitress waved a hand in front of his face. "Sir?"

He blinked and shook his head. "What?"

"You were spacing out. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good," he turned away to conceal his eye roll.  _Of course, I was spacing out. Jeez, what's so odd about that?_

"So?"

He turned back to her. "So, what?"

She frowned slightly at the tone of his voice. "Do you remember anything about your friend?"

"Oh," Nautico reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a little pin. The pin was the symbol of the Dwellers. "To be honest, I can't remember what they look like, but I know they were meeting with a group of people wearing that symbol."

He handed it to the waitress who looked it over for a few seconds.

"I think I saw someone wearing this a few hours ago."

Nautico lit up. "Really? Where?" His head whipped back and forth as he searched the club.

The waitress shrugged as she handed the pin back to him. "It was hours ago. They might've left by now."

"Well, I'm going to take a look around," he replied as he moved away. "Thanks for the help."

Nautico spent the next half hour searching high and low for the Dwellers and his target, but no one he came across wore the same pin. He had reached a dead end.

"I need a drink," he mumbled as he walked over to the bar. He asked for a drink that would destroy his mind for the next few hours.

"No such luck?" He turned to see the waitress he had spoken to earlier. She carried a tray with glasses that had their contents drained.

"Is it that obvious?" He did nothing to hide his sarcastic tone as the bartender placed a full glass in front of him. Without thinking, he grabbed the glass and downed the liquid.

"Excuse me for trying to cheer you up," the waitress frowned as the bartender took the empty glasses.

Nautico shrugged as the bartender poured another glass. "I didn't even ask you to. Why are you nice to strangers?"

He turned and gestured to the ongoings in the club. "Especially those who come to this kind of club."

She turned away as she checked her notepad. "Someone like you wouldn't understand."

Nautico turned back to his drink. "Maybe I don't understand how the law in this city works. How 'unfair' it is to the people. And if being antisocial makes me ignorant, well that's fine by me."

She turned back to him with a still angry, yet curious expression and a raised eyebrow. "Maybe you do understand."

Nautico smirked and raised his glass. "Nautico."

She nodded. "Lulu."

Nautico downed the second glass. The buzz that followed was very faint. "Well nice meeting you. I'd stay and chat but I'm needed elsewhere, and I also don't want to."

Lulu snorted as he left. "Asshole."

"Bitch," he responded. The two shared a silent laugh.

* * *

The sounds of the city were there to greet Nautico as he exited the bar. The thought of crawling back to Daemonara as a failure made his stomach churn. Wondering about the penalty that would follow nearly made him puke.

He turned down a nearby alley, stopping halfway when a dark figure blocked the other end.

He raised an eyebrow. "So, it's gonna be one of those situations, huh?" he spoke aloud.

The figure neither moved nor spoke.

_Hmm. A tall, dark and mysterious figure standing at the end of an alley, staring down a bewildered pedestrian. Said pedestrian is confused and decides to turn around–_

"–to find another person with a knife!" Nautico quickly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the knife. With a quick turn, he delivered a jab straight into the assailant's gut.

His opponent crumpled to the ground, groaning in pain, leaving only one left.

Nautico let out a cry of surprise as his shoulder suddenly exploded in pain. He quickly turned around to see the other thug was holding something in his hand. He smirked and reached into his coat.

"That hurt." He felt his clothes dampen as blood flowed from his wound. The warm liquid felt satisfying to the touch, and the fear of Daemonara was momentarily forgotten.

"I guess it's time for a good old fashioned standoff."

Several tense moments went by with neither side making a single move. It was at this time that Nautico noticed a puddle nearby. He made a mental note to keep that in mind.

Nautico then noticed a sudden twitch from his opponent. In one quick motion, he pulled out his springer and fired.

His knew his shot had hit home when his adversary cried out and staggered back out of sight. Normally he would've chased after his prey, but, unfortunately, he knew he had to play smart.

Reluctantly he turned back to the guy he had felled who was currently trying to get back on his feet. Activating his power, he reached out to the puddle and flicked his hand.

The water shot up and barreled towards its target, slamming him against the wall. Nautico approached as the liquid held its victim tight.

"Now, let's see if our little knife wielder here, has any more tricks up his sleeve."

He noticed that the guy was limp. A quick check of his pulse proved he was still alive. Searching his clothes, Nautico found some lucre, another springer that was a smaller model than his own, and a Dweller pin.

It seemed Nautico's luck had turned around.

He smirked as he half-heartedly pointed his gun to the left and fired. A shriek of surprise followed immediately with the sound of something hitting the ground.

He turned to the other Dweller, who had the appearance of a bull and was struggling to use both his legs and an arm to crawl away. The other arm was covering the hole in his chest.

Nautico knelt beside him. "What's the rush pal?"

"Fuck you!" The Dweller lashed out at Nautico who easily avoided the strike.

"Come now we can settle this like civilized gents."

He looked at his wound. The adrenaline rush had worn off, leaving a feeling of searing pain from the wound - not that Nautico minded.

"Besides, I want to thank you for this. I haven't felt a rush like that in a long time."

"You get off on that you sick freak?!"

"Please," Nautico rolled his eyes while pulling an object out of his coat and screwing it onto his weapon. "Like a bullet wound is actually enough to get me that excited."

"Psycho," the Dweller muttered as tightened his grip on his chest.

Nautico shrugged and stood up. "I try." He fired his pistol into the guy's abdomen.

"Agh! Fuck!" The Dweller rolled onto his back, placing his other arm over the new wound. "The fuck are you doing?!"

Nautico gestured innocently to the gun. "What? I needed a silencer so no one would hear any more gunshots."

"Damn it!" The Dweller tried to reach for his gun, but he couldn't figure out where it landed.

Nautico held up his arms in defense. "Hey, do want to the public to call in the authorities?"

"Someone's already done that by now!" the Dweller retorted.

"Well yeah, but we don't need to give anyone else a reason to call. By the way, what's your name?"

"What?" The Dweller looked up in confusion.

"What's. Your. Name?" Nautico waved his gun in the air. "Want me to spell it out?"

"What's it to ya?"

"Nice name, and the reason I asked," he gestured to both Dwellers, "is I'm willing to let you guys off the hook if you give me what I want."

The Dweller rolled on his side. "Which is what?"

Nautico chuckled and aimed his gun at the Dweller's head. "Don't test me."

The Dweller held up an arm in defense. "Alright, alright, look, my name is Cam. Me and Dezer over there were at the club meeting."

Nautico lowered the gun. "Go on."

Cam used his other arm to prop himself. "Everything was going well, until the guy the boss was meeting with asked for a favor."

"Which was..."

"To take you out," Cam answered. "That's all I know about the guy. None of the Dwellers know where he lives. All we know is that he's staying in contact with us."

"Perfect. That's all I need to know." Nautico put away his gun as the sound of sirens filled the air.

He looked over his shoulder. "And in the nick of time too."

Cam let out a sigh of relief. "So I am free to go?"

Nautico turned back. "Oh, yeah. I almost forgot."

In one swift motion, Nautico used his claws to slash Cam's throat. The Dweller fell on his back as he grasped his throat. He choked on his blood looking up at Nautico in shock.

Nautico grinned. "When I said I'd let you guys off the hook, I meant no more torture. I never said you'd live."

He turned around and walked over to Dezer. "Besides, I only need to bring one of you to the boss."

The wail of sirens grew louder, meaning Nautico would have to move quickly. Good thing there was a sewer cover in this alley too.

* * *

Several minutes later, Nautico was trudging through the sewer, with Dezer over his shoulders. After checking to see if he was safe, he let the weasel fall in the muck.

He lifted his clothes to check the wound. The blood had dried up while the bullet was lodged deep in his flesh. He made a mental note to dig it out later.

He leered at Dezer. "I hope you can confirm what your friend said otherwise I'm gonna be in even more shit than before."

The reply he got was from Syla: Daemonara's secretary, who told him Daemonara was busy and suggested he bring Dezer to the restaurant in the Kojiki District where the meeting with the Soul Reapers was taking place.

After turning off the device, he used his power to lift Dezer.

He smiled at the unconscious weasel. "I hope you don't have any plans because we're taking a slight detour."

**Author's Note:**

> This story is dedicated to David and Liz for inspiring me with DreamKeepers. Their stories and characters are among the few I've fallen in love with.
> 
> They are among my biggest inspirations for creating my own stories.
> 
> I hope the two of them enjoy this if they read it.


End file.
